Chapter 93: Scheduled ves Rebellion (1)
The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 093
<strong><em>EP.93 Scheduled ves Rebellion (1)</em></strong>
The auction was in full swing at the banquet hall.
And someone was quietly seated in the position overlooking the hall.
Unlike the lively atmosphere of the auction-filled banquet hall, this ce was quiet.
A high-ranking official of the Demon Merchant Association and the current leader of the banquet, Sernu.
Neatly groomed ck hair.
The ck sses made his gaze even colder and moreposed.
He raised his sses once, wearing a cold expression.“So, there seems to be a connection between Arch Lich and that entity, right?”
“Yes, Sir Sernu.”
Sernu responded to his subordinate’s report.
In preparing for the auction, there was a momentary oversight, which was the rtionship between the mysterious entity and Arch Lich.
Before the auction began, the mysterious entity approached Arch Lich first, and Arch Lich also greeted the entity.
Indeed, now that he looked, the entity was sitting next to Arch Lich.
The mysterious entity.
Covered in a ck mask and robe, still disying immense power.
The power emanating from him was enough to make onlookers shudder.
“Sigh…”
Sernu leaned back on the chair and let out a long sigh.
Several unexpected variables had emerged at this banquet, indicating a gap in the Association’s intelligence.
First and foremost was the presence of Arch Lich.
Initially, it was supposed to be a subus dungeon.
Since it was investigated by Association’s audit team, the uracy was expected to be very high.
But those who actually came from the subus dungeon were Arch Lich and an Incubus.
The grade of the Incubus was also high, but the presence of Arch Lich surprised Sernu.
‘I never thought there would be a 5-star.’
Officially, records of grades higher than 5-stars had not appeared for quite some time.
Of course, there were even 7-stars, but now they were merely stories that would be considered legendary.
Ultimately, the world of dungeons was said to have a maximum grade of 5-stars.
Yet, the reason bnce was maintained between humans and monsters was due to the gap in ss between them, even if they were of the same grade.
They evolved to kill and plunder their opponents from the start, while humans were weak.
They needed armor to protect themselves and weapons to kill their opponents. Not to mention various magical essories bestowed by magic and the grades based on the achievements of wizards or knights, humans were differentiated.
So, even if they were of the same grade, it was not possible to have a fair fight.
Thus, bnce had been maintained until now.
The problem was the next one.
‘Where did the gape from?’
The Demon Merchant Association was vast.
It was no exaggeration to say that it had prated all the information of every dungeon.
Yet, when it came to this dungeon, they had missed the mark by a long shot.
‘It wasn’t even a subus dungeon to begin with.’
The fact that a 5-star like Arch Lich appeared meant that the master of this dungeon was not a subus.
‘It’s clear that the 5-star Arch Lich is the master of the dungeon.’
Thinking of subus as the master was like a smoke screen.
For a brief moment, Sernu instructed his subordinate to gather information.
Upon further investigation, the Demon Merchant Association’s responsible person for the dungeon also believed the master to be a subus.
‘How dare they attempt to ridicule the Association…’
How much had they underestimated themselves to act like that?
It was disgusting.
No matter how valuable the power of a 5-star, without influence over the dungeon, there was nothing remarkable.
Otherwise, why would Baalzerith have fallen?
Even though Association imed to have seized her dungeon management rights, why remain silent?
The strength of the dungeon master was important, but so was the size of the faction leading the dungeon.
In the end, Baalzerith lost the dungeon’s influence.
And even now, her power was diminishing due to the White Order.
In short, relying solely on one’s power could lead to a big downfall.
But Arch Lich had crossed the line.
Sernu believed that those who crossed the line needed to be made aware of reality.
So, he brought Arcane, one of the attendees at the banquet, into the picture.
It was easy to exploit her fear of jealousy.
Moreover, he had already taken care of the ve who would appear at the next auction.
“Yes, it seemed smooth up to this point.”
It was all part of the n to corner Arch Lich.
If they felt powerless in front of Association’s power, they would be good business partners in the future.
His thoughts were positive.
But then, another variable emerged.
“The ck mask…”
Sernu’s gaze shifted to the figure wearing the ck mask and robe.
Commonly known as the ck Mask.
“Is there a possibility that the ck Mask is the actual master of the dungeon?”
With the problem of the 5-star Arch Lich, the appearance of a being possessing even greater power than Arch Lich was concerning.
But Association knew nothing about it.
What if they hadn’t held the banquet this time?
‘It’s terrifying just to imagine.’
So Sernu mentioned one possibility.
If that ck Mask was indeed the real master of the dungeon?
Then it could subtly make sense.
But his subordinate denied the possibility.
“Don’t you know, Sir Sernu? Our invitations are not ordinary. We confirmed that only Arch Lich and the Incubus attended the dungeon.”
“Hmm…”
So, who was this ck Mask that suddenly emerged from somewhere, breaking through Association’s security without even being invited to the social circle?
‘Could it really be an exceptional existence?’
He felt an urge to immediately remove the robe and uncover the identity.
But the momentum emanating from the ck Mask was anything but ordinary.
“Fear, confusion, despair…”
As a demon, Sernu could sense the familiar scent.
But with the current information alone, there was nothing precise to know.
No matter how much he thought about it, it wasn’t just a guess.
“So, what happened to the investigators?”
When Arch Lich was enjoying the banquet here, Sernu wasn’t just idling around.
To investigate the dungeon, Association sent mercenaries and monsters under its control.
Contrary to the expectation that they would quickly find out, the first group of mercenaries sent out lost contact.
So, Association immediately dispatched its investigators.
There was only one case where contact was lost with Association’s mercenaries.
The fact that there was a problem with their safety.
Of course, there was a possibility that the mercenaries had vited the contract and fled, but such cases were really rare.
There was no one who didn’t know what happened if you vited the contract with the Demon Merchant Association.
Simrly, causing harm to those affiliated with Association would also be a significant problem.
Even if they were temporary contract mercenaries, it was no different.
So, if their contact was lost, it meant that there was a high probability that something had happened to their safety, and if something happened to their safety, it meant that someone had interfered with Association.
So, Association immediately dispatched its investigators.
They were swift and urate, so they probably reached a conclusion by now.
“Yes, Sir Sernu. In fact, we received a report just now.”
As expected, the investigators acted swiftly.
Sernu smiled satisfactorily and nodded slowly.
“The investigators confirmed that all the mercenaries were killed by wandering goblins in the forest. They concluded the case like that and stated that they would collect and examine the bodies separately.”
“They already concluded?”
Sernu expressed doubt unintentionally in response to his subordinate’s words.
Did the investigators really reach a conclusion so quickly?
“Is it really certain that it was the work of wandering goblins?”
Shouldn’t we confirm whether it was indeed the work of wandering goblins?
Perhaps it was the act of someone disguised as wandering goblins.
But there was a sense of urgency in the investigators’ actions, as if they were hastily reaching a conclusion.
“……..”
However, Sernu couldn’t intervene in the investigators’ conclusion.
They belonged to a different department, and the investigators were individuals guaranteed independent activity.
But there was something strange.
Why did the investigators reach a conclusion so quickly?
Was there an external intervention?
‘Could it be the subus?’
After all, there was a subus in that dungeon.
Although she pretended to be the master, she was undoubtedly a mesmerizing monster.
And the ce where the mercenaries died was not far from that dungeon.
‘No, that’s not it.’
The investigators werepetent.
With Association’s support, they were never vulnerable to mental attacks from subus or the like.
The possibility was erased from Sernu’s thoughts.
‘Then is it really just a coincidence as the investigators say?’
Something felt off, but the events unfolding here were too overwhelming to handle.
Dealing with Arch Lich and even the ck Mask immediately was a headache.
“Yeah, let’s leave it at that. Let me know again if the investigatorse up with a different opinion.”
While Sernu was speaking, the auction continued in the hall below.
“Hahaha! Yes, we have 300 Magic Stones! The two Water Reapers who lost their dungeon are heading to Arch Lich’s embrace!”
The jovialughter of the auctioneer echoed in Sernu’s ears. The Water Reapers, like monsters with bat wings attached to frogs, had a small amount of poison in their tails, making them useful for reconnaissance and simple warnings.
“Come to think of it, it seems that only Arch Lich is winning the bids after the ve auction started.”
Sernu became interested again at his subordinate’s words.
“All the ves were won?”
Sernu was shocked to learn that Arch Lich monopolized all the ves.
The ves appearing in the auction were usually monsters from dungeons unable to repay their debts or wandering monsters kidnapped by Association.
Or there were humans who failed in dungeon conquests.
But their prices were never cheap.
Of course, they weren’t overly expensive either, but winning all the ves was a different story.
Just earlier, the two Water Reapers were sold for 300 Magic Stones.
Moreover, the auction wasn’t even fierce.
It was said that the bidding went up to 100 Magic Stones, but Arch Lich immediately bid 300.
“Insane!”
How much money was spent to buy just two reconnaissance monsters at such a price?
Even if the payment was made on credit, could they afford it?
“Hmph.”
Sernu had experienced many surprises today.
But this wasn’t a loss.
After all, the auction was an existing event, and evaluating Arch Lich’s wealth at this opportunity was more important.
The auction continued.
“How about this Gargoyle? It usually freezes like a statue, but when intruderse, it attacks. The more magic power you inject, the stronger the Gargoyle bes! A very good opponent for human adventurers, isn’t it? Hehe.”
“Yes! 1500 Magic Stones! The Gargoyle also goes to Arch Lich!”
The Gargoyle’s grade was 1 star.
Although its grade was the lowest, its rarityy in the fact that it was a created life form.
There weren’t many who could create Gargoyles.
Knowing this fact, Association sometimes paid with Gargoyles instead of money to those who could create them.
As long as magic was infused, they lived immortal lives, making them very versatile.
Even though it was only grade 1 for now, if powerful magic was infused, its grade would rise significantly.
For now, Arch Lich’s choice could be considered correct.
With Arch Lich’s level of magic, the Gargoyle’s grade would quickly rise to 3 star.
“Next is the Ogre! They’re not very intelligent, but if you give them appropriate rewards, they’ll be loyal to their new master! As powerful as they are, having just one will make your dungeon much stronger, won’t it?”
Next was the Ogre.
It was a monster with two heads, and although itcked intelligence, it possessed immense strength.
Of course, Arch Lich won the bid for this as well.
“… …”
Now, Sernu was speechless.
And next in line was the appearance Sernu had been waiting for.
“Alright, everyone participating in the auction! The next item is a group of humans!”
The auctioneer’s booming voice energized the atmosphere.
“But they’re not ordinary humans! They’re members of the church! Two priests and seven holy knight trainees! We’re about to start the auction for a total of nine individuals…”
The auctioneer nced briefly upwards.
Sernu nodded as his eyes met with the auctioneer’s.
“We’ll take a short break and continue the auction!”
Sernu’s mouth curved slightly upwards at the auctioneer’s words.
“Tell the ve boys. In addition to attacking Arch Lich as mentioned earlier, attack the person next to him wearing the ck mask. Promise them that if they seed, they’ll be released and rewarded with gold coins.”
The n was to strike both Arch Lich and the person next to him using human ves.
In addition, Sernu wanted to get a glimpse of the power of the person wearing the ck mask next to Arch Lich.
It was an operation conducted with humans who were nothing more than ves.
“And whether the human boys seed or fail in their attack, kill them all.”
But if the human ves fell into the hands of the enemy, the situation would change.
There might be revtions rted to Association.
That’s why a safety measure was necessary here.
That’s killing them to keep them silent.
If the ves revolted, immediate disposal was the right move from Association’s perspective.
So, whether the human ves seeded or failed in their attack, they would all end up dead.
Promises were meant to be broken.
Now, the real show was about to begin.